


The Liar

by Neverending_Rainbow



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Angst with a (relatively) Happy Ending, Gen, Mental Health Issues, Mild Gore, Minor Body Horror, Same Coin Theory (Gravity Falls), Suicidal Idealisation, Therapy, darker than canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverending_Rainbow/pseuds/Neverending_Rainbow
Summary: Stan doesn’t remember everything at once.It takes him time...days, weeks, months, to remember most of the summer of 2012.And then he starts to remember memories that aren’t his own…Or are they?----------Post Canon fanfic based on theSame coin theory.This is a rewrite of an old abandoned fanfic that I foundI have the author's permission to use their work. Credit it to prodigal-sunlight!
Relationships: Bill Cipher & Stan Pines, Ford Pines & Stan Pines
Comments: 14
Kudos: 29





	The Liar

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing these characters, please tell me if they are OOC.
> 
> Also, just started rewatching the series. So, also tell me off if I get canon wrong. 
> 
> This is just a prologue. Future chapters *will* be longer.
> 
> Forgot to add: I have *not* ready any other gravity falls fanfic aside from "Some sunny day" (which is amazing!!), another same coin theory fanfic. So, any similarities/shared plot points with other GF fanfics are purely coincidental. I have most of this planned out and won't be changing it.

Stan doesn’t remember everything at once.

It takes time. Days, weeks, _months_ , to remember most of the summer of 2012.

He sails around the world with Ford, discovering lots of weird shit, flirting with babes, and finding (some) treasure.

They go from the Arctic, to the Atlantic, to the Mediterranean, and back again.

But he never leaves his brother’s side. Ever.

He’s waited too long for _this_.

So, of course, things start to go wrong.

* * *

In late May, he starts having nightmares.

Of setting entire dimensions on fire. Of people and other creatures running away from him, screaming in terror. Of torturing his brother with lightning and cruel words.

And worst of all, he enjoys every moment of it.

He doesn’t tell Ford. Heck, he himself dismisses his nightmares as nothing more than delusions caused by bad food or old age.

* * *

Things come to ahead one moonlit night, in a small inlet off the coast of some barren island.

He and his brother are sharing a quiet moment near the steering wheel, before going to bed.

Tomorrow, they start the long journey back to Oregon, to Gravity Falls, to home.

Admiring the moon, he remembers something new.

* * *

“Hey, do you remember that time when you went into the forest and you were bitten by a dog? You were limping for days. It took ages for the scar to heal.” Stan said steadily, leaning forward over the railing and grinning.

Ford went very still, pausing mid scribble.

He’s started a new journal. A personal one. For his eyes only.

Stan swallowed, suddenly nervous. He’d said something wrong.

“I don’t remember that Stanley.” Ford straightened up, frowning at him.

Stan turned away.

“You sure? “He snickered. “You came home covered in mud and dirt and you were freaking out, yelling that “the bite has to be treated before it’s too late”.

“It wasn’t a dog. It was a werewolf- well, weredog. I treated the bite pretty easily. A certain _someone_ told me where to find some wolfsbane. It happened in Gravity Falls in 1980…back when we were still estranged.” Ford said uneasily, tucking his new journal away in his coat.

~~Away from prying eyes.~~

Stan gripped the railing hard, unwilling to turn around and see his brother’s worried expression.

It’s one of the _triangles_ memories.

“Stanley…” Ford trailed off.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Stan insisted.

Ford joined him at the edge of the ship.

Mercifully, he didn’t say anything.

Stan took a deep breath.

“Only a few more days and we’ll be back in the states…It’ll be good to see the kids again.”

Ford stared pensively out to sea.

“It will…But Stanley, please don’t change the subject. Your memories…you’re remembering things that you never experienced. I’m concerned about the implications. We should run some tests before we return to Gravity Falls.”

Stan stiffened.

“It’ll only delay us by a few days- “

“No!” He snapped, curling his hands into fists.

It’d been so long since he’d last seen his niece and nephew, he didn’t want to wait any longer.

His right eye suddenly _ached_.

He cursed and rubbed it gingerly, trying to ease the pain.

Ford gazed at him with abject concern.

“Sixer, I’m fine.” Stan lied. “It’s just old age.”

“You and I both know it isn’t that.” Ford said quietly. “We- we can always run the tests in Gravity Falls. Fiddleford can help us. And we’ll keep it a secret from the kids- at least for a day or two- until they’ve had a chance to settle in, okay?”

Stan took a deep breath and nodded.

“Okay. And I agree, the kids come first. They’ll always come first. It’s just-I don’t want to be delayed.”

He smiled.

“Heh, if we’re so much a day late, Soos is gonna cry his eyes out. So, we’d better make good time.”

“He is rather fond of you,” Ford conceded, smiling again.

“Mabel will probably explode when she sees us. She’s been bombarding us with emails.” Stan laughed.

“It’s remarkable how well they’re doing. Considering what happened.” Ford said.

Stan bit his lip, feeling oddly _guilty_ all of a sudden.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. There was no point in dwelling on the past.

“As long as they have each other, they’ll be fine. Just like us two.” He said out loud, elbowing his brother gently in the ribs.

Ford chuckled and elbowed him back.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Sweet dreams. I’ll be along in a moment.”

Ford hummed and entered the galley.

As soon as his brother was out of sight, Stan turned back to the moon and glared at it, an ominous feeling curling in his gut.

His thoughts kept returning to his brother’s new journal, wondering what worries, what ~~secrets~~ , were being kept from him.

* * *

The next day

* * *

The ocean was on fire.

Reds, pinks, oranges, and yellows all blurring together into a flaming landscape.

Stan could almost hear the screams, almost _feel_ the delicious crawl of fire across his skin.

He shook his head, coming back to reality.

It was just the setting sun, nothing special.

_With any luck, we’ll be in the states tomorrow and I can put all these stupid dreams behind me._

Sighing, he glanced over at Ford.

His older brother was dozing peacefully on the deck next to him, glasses askew with his new journal resting haphazardly in his lap.

Kneeling down, Stan carefully pried off his brother’s glasses and put them away in his pocket.

Huffing, he prepared to drag Ford to bed. At least, that’s what he would’ve done, if he hadn’t accidentally touched the journal.

He froze, glancing at Ford’s face.

Ford twitched, but didn’t wake up.

Stan swallowed and reached for the journal.

_It wouldn’t hurt to take a quick look, right? Just a peek…_

The moment his fingers made contact with it, felt the leather cover, he quickly recoiled, as if burned.

_What am I doing?_

Stan shook his head and hurriedly hauled his brother up by the shoulders, curling an arm around his body to keep him steady.

The book clattered loudly to the deck and Stan swore.

Ford groggily woke up and pushed him away, blindly feeling around for his glasses.

“Here Sixer.” Stan handed them over.

Ford shoved them on.

“Where’s my- oh.”

He saw his journal on the floor and snatched it up, giving his sibling a dirty look.

“I was trying to get you to bed Pointdexter. You fell asleep while writing. But I forgot about the dumb book.” Stan explained, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

“Oh.” Ford said, scratching the back of his head. “Well, next time just wake me up. Please”

“Will do.” Stan crossed his arms.

There was an awkward pause, and then Ford’s stomach growled. Very loudly.

Ford smiled, happy for the distraction. 

“What’s for dinner?”

“Brown meat.”

“Heh. You’re joking, right?”

“Nope. We’re all outta fish. So brown meat it is!”

Ford laughed breezily.

Stan followed it up with a deep chuckle of his own, then walked past his brother.

“I’ll start getting dinner ready. How do you want your meat? Boiled? Fried?”

Ford paled and stumbled after him.

“Wait Stanley! I really thought you were joking- “

* * *

That night, Stan dreamed of Bill Cipher…or rather, _remembered_ him. Specifically, the demon’s final, pathetic, moments.

* * *

Bill squirmed as Stan’s mind burned up, shifting from surprise, to anger, and finally, desperation.

Stan laughed gleefully, enjoying the demons suffering.

He hadn’t done that before. But this was a dream, not reality. So, he could do whatever he _wanted_ to.

Suddenly, Bill floated up and copied his expression, eye widening with joy.

Stan recoiled in horror. As did Bill.

Then-

“Nruter yam I taht rewop tneicna eht ekovni I! Nrub ot emoc sah emit ym! L-T-O-L-O-X-A!” Bill yelled, raising his arms, before disintegrating into cinders.

Stan woke up, blinking in the darkness of his and Ford’s bedroom.

Refusing to look at his sleeping twin, he rolled away and mulled over Bill’s final words.

_I’ve never heard them so clearly before. I need to investigate them. Maybe they hold the answer to my memory issues?_

Eventually, he drifted back to sleep, unaware that terrible events had already been set into motion.

**Author's Note:**

> Howzat?
> 
> Found this theory and fell in love with it. I don't think it's canon, but it makes a great basis for an angsty fanfic. 
> 
> Please review/subscribe!


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